Devil Pact
by BoomShroom
Summary: Willowburn, a small, remote town in the mountainous area of Unova, once held dark, demonic rituals. Now known as a simple town, the townsfolk have long abandoned the traditions of old. However, no matter how deeply they are buried, things of the past always tend to resurface. And where there is a burning desire in one's heart that is impossible to satisfy, there is a Devil Pact.


**Well, here's another story that's been with me for a while. I wanted to wait to publish this first chapter after I had finished up my other Pokemon fic, but I was just so excited and ideas kept flowing, that I decided to do it now. Well, please read on!**

* * *

**Devil Pact**

Lyle smiled slightly as he glanced out the window, watching the scenery fly by.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Cheren said, his gaze fixed on the scenery outside as well. He adjusted his glasses and said, "Nature truly is stunning once you step back and take time to appreciate it."

Lyle nodded, his eyes still glued on the scene before him. The trees were a pretty shade of green and were taller than the ones he was used to. He could occasionally spot Rock and Grass type Pokemon as the bus zoomed by them, their curious eyes peering out from behind rocks and bushes to catch a glimpse of the vehicle speeding up the mountain road. The sun was set low in the sky as it was still early morning, but it glowed brightly and bathed the dew touched grass in its brilliant light.

Lyle sighed, satisfied. Yes, the mountain was a majestic giant, untouched by civilization except for the road leading up to the single town that they were currently en route to, Willowburn.

"What'cha guys talkin' about?" Lyle felt a weight on his head and looked up to see his friend Jessica leaning over the back of his seat and resting her arm on him, her face bright and cheerful despite how tired her friends were from waking up so early.

"Nothing really." Lyle chuckled, pushing her arm off of his head. "We were just enjoying the view, is all."

Jessica took off her cap and smoothed down her long brown hair, an uninterested expression on her face. She replaced it and leaned back, her arms folded. "Yeah, yeah, nature and whatnot. Let me know if you guys want to talk about something fun."

A blond girl sitting beside Jessica piped up, her eyebrow raised. She spoke gently, but there was a note of exasperation in her voice. "Jess, you really should settle down. You're always so hyper, but we're all tired and there's not much to do right now."

Jessica whined, tapping her foot impatiently. "Yeah, I know, Bianca, but I don't want to talk about trees and stuff! Honestly, I just want to get to Willowburn and explore! You know, see the sights, catch some native Pokemon, maybe meet a handsome boy who I'll fall in love with! Oh, I'm so excited I can barely contain myself!"

Cheren chuckled at her exaggeration and shook his head. "No need to worry, we'll be able to do all of that in due time. However, I can't make any promises about that last thing."

The other two laughed, Jessica joining in as well despite that the goodnatured joke was aimed at her.

Lyle, Jessica, Bianca, and Cheren had been a close knit group of friends since they were young, so when they had all decided to start their journey to become Pokemon trainers, they had found it only natural to travel together and share the experience with one another. It had proved to be a wonderful decision, and though they were still inexperienced trainers, they were all helping each other down the same path. Cheren's level-headedness always kept the group on track, and Bianca was always the most caring of the party, sometimes too much so as she would often fuss over everything. Jessica was a fantastic trainer and loved to battle, and she often assisted her friends by teaching them new techniques and tactics.

Compared to his friends, however, Lyle felt as if he didn't contribute much to the team. He was a decent trainer, but not nearly as good as Jessica. He loved his Pokemon dearly, but he didn't seem to have that same connection that Bianca could make with hers. He wasn't even on par with Cheren's intelligence, and it often cost him a victory in the practice battles they often had. No, Lyle felt a bit useless compared to his friends. With no real redeeming qualities, he often felt as if he was holding his friends back. He had brought the issue up with them before, but they had all assured him that he was a valuable asset to the team, and even if he wasn't, he was still their friend either way. Whether he could battle like a pro, think like a true tactician, or gain the love and trust of every Pokemon he encountered, he was still their friend and they would never leave him. Nothing could change that.

Jessica had begun to brag lightheartedly about the three gym badges she already had as opposed to the others' two, but Lyle wasn't listening. He tore his gaze away from the window and glanced at the only other passenger on the bus, an elderly looking man wearing a blue and white robe who was sitting across and two seats in front of them. He had a blue band on his face and his head was hung down and his eyes were closed. Lyle assumed he was asleep. He hoped he and his friends weren't making enough noise to disturb him.

"Yes, yes, Jessica, we know." Cheren's voice brought Lyle back to their conversation. "It is absolutely splendid that you have acquired your third gym badge while the rest of us only have two. It is not, however, right of you to brag about it every twenty minutes." There was an obvious note of irritation in his voice.

Jessica smiled at him slyly. "Oh? Is somebody jealous?"

"Wha-I am not jealous!" Cheren yelled.

"Sure seems like it. Are you mad that I'm a better trainer than you?"

Cheren was about to retort, but Bianca intervened. "Please, stop fighting. It's still too early in the morning for that sort of thing."

Lyle nodded. "Right. Besides, you two can have plenty of time to fight once we get to Willowburn."

"Fine." Jessica leaned back, but then asked, "So, uh, what's this town like, anyways? I mean, I know it's small and practically unheard of, but..."

Cheren grinned and adjusted his glasses. This was the sort of area in which he shined. "Well, as you said, Willowburn is a small, relatively isolated town high in the mountains of the Unova region. Its population is just shy of one thousand, and the only way in and out of the village is via the mountain path, the road that we are currently traveling on. Its main export is lumber and the native Pokemon types are Rock and Grass, in accordance with the forested and mountainous terrain. Apparently, the town once held strange rituals and odd ceremonies, but it's a peaceful and quite place now-"

Jessica clamped her hand over Cheren's mouth, beaming. "Stop right there, Wikipedia! I think I know what I want to look into now!"

Cheren pushed her hand away and muttered something about not calling him by that nickname.

"This will be nice, though, won't it?" Bianca said cheerfully. "I mean, I know this town doesn't have a gym or anything, but it'll be a nice break from things. Lately I've felt like we've been pushing ourselves a bit too much. I'm glad we can have some time to relax again."

There were sounds of general agreement, and the group fell back into silence.

Lyle turned his attention back to the window. Cheren, Bianca, and he hadn't been able to defeat the gym leader at the last gym they had visited. Even Jessica had had a rough time, and the experience had left them thoroughly demoralized. Despite constant training sessions, they hadn't noticed any real progress. Cheren had suggested that they take a break, set a bit of time aside to rest and simply relax.

"Work and relaxation are like two sides of a scale." he had said. "Both are important and should be balanced. An abundance of one and a lack of the other leads to many problems."

They had each done a bit of research about the area, searching for potential places of interests and vacation spots. They ruled out many options (mainly because of their price range), but they had finally settled on one of Lyle's suggestions, visiting the remote town of Willowburn.

Lyle smiled as he spotted a curious Skorupi trying to keep up with the bus, but failing to match its speed, soon disappearing from sight. He tipped his cap down and closed his eyes, hoping to get some rest before they arrived at Willowburn.

This vacation would likely prove to be much needed, peaceful rest.

* * *

_Humans are negative creatures. They constantly focus on their flaws, spending all their time berating themselves on what they didn't do, what they should have done, why they are inferior to others. Their time would be better spent improving themselves, working to change these flaws instead of wallowing in their own self-pity. However, no matter how hard they try, it is likely that nothing will change, and not all flaws will be fixed. Nothing is perfect. Humans are prime examples of this._

_Yes, humans truly are negative creatures._

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed chapter one! Please leave a review and tell me what you think so far!**

**Oh, and in case you weren't sure, Lyle and Jessica are the male and female player characters from Pokemon Black and White.**


End file.
